Rivalry Renewed: Rams vs. 49ers

The Rams and 49ers will renew acquaintances for the 127th time on Thursday at the Edward Jones Dome.

In the most recent installment of the rivalry, the Rams are coming off a season in which they were 1-0-1 in two games against San Francisco, including a 16-13, overtime victory in St. Louis last Dec. 2. Last year marked the first season the Rams went undefeated against the 49ers since 2004.

Both teams begin the week looking to reverse recent trends. The defending NFC champions enter having dropped their last two games, including a 27-7 loss at home to Indianapolis last Sunday.

“We’re facing adversity,” 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said during his Wednesday conference call with St. Louis media. “It gives us the opportunity to stare it in the face and respond. That’s a relentless quest for improvement, that’s where we’re at.”

Similarly, the Rams will look to rebound at home after suffering defeats at Atlanta and Dallas in the past two weeks. Rams Head Coach Fisher sees many similarities between the Rams and their longtime division rival at this early juncture of the season.

“We have a tremendous challenge here,” Fisher said at his Monday press conference. “The 49ers, in a lot of ways, probably see themselves in the same situation that we’re in. Got beat at home, now have to deal with some injuries, and then come here on a short week. So, they have as equal as great a challenge as we do. It should be a short week and a good ball game.”

Thursday represents an opportunity for the Rams to improve upon their 5-1-1 record against NFC West opponents under Fisher, the best such mark within the division during that time period. That run of success includes a 4-0 mark against division opponents at home since the beginning of the 2012 season.

The 49ers will look to dual-threat quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who threw for 315 yards and ran for another 150 in his two games against St. Louis in 2012, to help ignite an offense that has been held to one touchdown over the last two games.

St. Louis has boasted a pass-heavy offensive attack through three weeks, ranking second in the league in completions with 88, just one behind Denver. Fourth-year QB Sam Bradford is on pace to establish career highs in completions, yardage and touchdown passes.

The Rams lead the all-time series between the two teams, 62-61-3, and are 9-8 against the 49ers at the Edward Jones Dome.